FAQs

- A dry-dock (or graving dock) is simply a ship berthing area which can be pumped out to enable ship repair, maintenance or construction to be carried out.

The purpose of dry-docking is to carry out ship repairs cleaning or maintenance that cannot be completed whilst the vessel is afloat, for instance so that the submerged portions of the hull can be cleaned or inspected.

A dam board is the structure at the dock entrance used to block or divert the flow of water to enable the dry-dock to be pumped out or to maintain the desired water level inside the dock

Dam boards are either made from natural materials, such as timber (hence the term dam board), or man-made materials such as steel and concrete

Our feasibility survey established that a stop-log gate would address the current issues with the dock arrangement and provide a dry dock functionality with a relatively low operational complexity and cost as well as low maintenance.

The Dam Board replacement is fundamental to the future of both HMS Trincomalee and PS Wingfield Castle, as it is critical to the operations of the Trincomalee dry dock.

With the two historic vessels in the marina requiring a dry dock for current and future maintenance /restoration projects, the dry dock and its gate are intrinsically connected to the future of these vessels.